Under the shadow of wings
by BellaEdwardJacobLove
Summary: In the Draken Academy that Bella attends, celebrating Halloween is one among the many forbidden things. So, the student body is surprised when a Halloween party is held in the school...to welcome a new set of students. Bella comes across Edward Cullen, one of the leaders of the five groups into which the new students are divided. Soon, she learns she's playing with fire, literally.
1. Summary

Hey guys, so, here's the summary for my next Halloween story:

_**In the private Catholic school that Bella Swan attends, celebrating Halloween is one among the many forbidden things. So the student body is surprised when the principal announces a Halloween party in the school...to welcome a new set of students. What everyone doesn't know is that the new students are actually from an underground kingdom, situated under their school building. Bella Swan comes across Edward Cullen, one of the leaders of the five groups into which the new students are divided. Soon, she learns she's playing with fire, literally.**_

I've come up with this new idea for Halloween since my previous story Fear of the unknown is almost over. Do you guys like it? If you have any other ideas, you are welcome to share it with me. So, who do you guys want to see as Bella's best friend in this story? Your choice.

-_**BEJL**_


	2. Rule number 1: Don't welcome a stranger

**Chapter 1: Rule number 1 - Don't welcome a stranger**

* * *

_**~Tis the night—the night**_

_**Of the grave's delight,**_

_**And the warlocks are at their play;**_

_**Ye think that without,**_

_**The wild winds shout,**_

_**But no, it is they—it is they!" **_

― _**Arthur Cleveland Coxe, Halloween: A Romaunt**_

* * *

It was a beginning scene of every horror film ever known to mankind.

_Squish._

_Squish._

"Oh no," the young girl gasped, as she watched her white sneakers sink into the wet mud.

She carefully took a step back, grimacing at her dirty sneakers. She had never meant to get into any of that trouble. Not only was she scared and dirty, she was also far away from home.

It was a Halloween night. She had been reading a book in her empty house when she'd heard the strange noise. Like someone scarping their long fingernails on a china plate. Naturally she had felt the need to check it out.

The problem was that, the sound had come from her backyard, which joined the huge dense forest bordering her town. She had placed her book down and slipped out through the French doors, looking around.

When the scarping sound continued, she had followed it. Now, she was stuck deep inside the forest, not knowing the way out as it was very dark. A sudden wind cut through her tank top and she shivered wildly.

A branch cracked next to her, like someone walking over bones and...crushing it.

"Hello?" she whispered, looking around. "Anyone there?"

Another branch cracked and the tree next to her began to sway uncontrollably. A scream escaped her lips before she could stop herself and she whirled around, running for life.

"I should have never come here," she sobbed to herself as she ran past sharp branches and trees.

She could see a thin stray of light ahead of her. Home. Home sweet home. Predictably, one of her sneakers got caught in a sharp root and down she went, falling flat upon her face.

When she licked her lips, she tasted blood. She gagged and scrambled to her feet, looking around frantically. An owl hooted nearby and a second later, something howled. She knew better than to think it was a dog.

Heavy panting filled her ears and she started to run, willing herself not to look back. The clouds had covered the moon and she couldn't see anything on the dark path. Completely out of breath, she came to a halt when the forest went silent.

She looked around, scanning the dark forest. Was that..._thing_ gone?

Suddenly, a huge figure jumped in front of her. It's red eyes gleamed at her and its mouth curled back into a snarl, revealing long pointed teeth. It lunged forward, hungry to taste its prey.

At the same time, a cold hand touched my shoulder.

"Aaaagh!" I screamed, toppling off the couch.

I landed on the wooden floor with a thud and pain shot through my left arm. A peal of laughter surrounded me, its tone familiar and completely annoying. I looked up and narrowed my eyes into a glare.

"Don't you atleast have the courtesy to lift me up?" I huffed, out of breath. "I swear I'll use the b-word on you."

Kate smirked and tossed her pale blond hair back. It was almost silver, so unique in its own way. All I had was my boring brown hair. Kate had a tall, slim figure and always look like a perfect cut-out from a fashion magazine.

"Rule number 2," she nodded towards the LCD Tv screen, where the girl now lay as a mangled corpse on the forest floor. "Never stop running to check whether the killer has stopped following you or not."

She stuck out one long arm and picked me up. I rubbed my possibly broken arm and settled on the couch.

She flopped down next to me. "Your dad let me in."

"What's rule number 1?" I asked, hugging one of the black silk pillows.

"Always feel free to use the b-word on me." Kate pointed to herself, stretching lazily.

I laughed because rule number 1 had nothing to do with rule number 2. Shouldn't they be in some kind of order? I looked behind me to check whether dad was eavesdropping on our conversation. Ever since mom left him, he felt the immense need to always keep an eye on me.

"What are your plans for this Wednesday?" Kate asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes. "As if we would be allowed to have a Halloween party."

Kate and I attended a private Catholic school that had strict rules and regulations. It was fine for the most part but when it came to Halloween, we never really understood. One of the most important policy of the school states that no students should ever celebrate Halloween.

If a student was caught throwing a Halloween party, he/she would be expelled from the school. Yeah, that's right, _expelled. _For such a petty thing. It made us wonder what they would do if we were caught doing something pretty bad, something that was bad than celebrating Halloween.

Our school 'The Draken Academy' was actually an enormous sprawling mansion whose rooms where converted into classrooms. A huge Chapel, a convent and an empty boarding house surrounding it. All these four buildings were nestled in between huge lush trees and a frozen lake.

I usually spent Halloween in my room, watching horror movies and a few times, Kate joined me too.

"Our school sucks," she commented, stealing my popcorn. "Halloween is, like, _the _best festive holiday ever. I wonder if our Principal is just afraid of Halloween and decided to prevent his students from pulling scary pranks in the school."

"His ancestors, you mean." I corrected her. "The school was founded around the 11th century."

"You think Halloween was celebrated even back then?" She looked momentarily distracted from the popcorn she was eating.

"I guess so. Weren't people in the beginning of time associated with the, uh, monsters we ah-dore?" I grinned, referring to the plot of the horror novel we both had been reading since the past week.

"It would be nice if we were allowed to throw a Halloween party. Me," she pointed to herself, "totally a vampire girl. I would rock it."

"Yeah, you would _vamp _it up...a little more." I giggled when she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Come on," she sighed, her eyes moving back to the Tv screen. "Let's see if this corpse would come back alive and save the whole town from the werewolf plus zombie hybrid infestation."

* * *

The next morning, I found an available spot in the school's luxurious parking lot and got out of my red Porsche. When I had won the election and became the Class President of the Junior student body in my school, my mom went all the way and bought me my dream car.

Well, my mom didn't have that much money. Her new boyfriend, Phil, was a man who came from rich background. He didn't hesitate to buy me that car when mom asked him. I guessed that he was ready to do whatever that would impress my mom. Gross.

Once I was inside the warm interior of the school, I smoothed down my black pleated skirt and ran a hand through my thick mahogany brown hair. Students were lounging near their lockers, talking in whispers.

It was no surprise. The Draken Academy expected silence at all times and though we broke that rule, we managed to do it a _little silently. _Some were exchanging notes, going through yesterday's homework and only a few were chatting about what they were going to do on Halloween.

Which was the same as always. Sit tight at home and watch other people getting murdered on Tv.

Everyone was dressed in the school uniform, which consisted of black pleated skirt,**―**black pants in boys case**―**white full hand button down shirt and a stiff black blazer. If anyone was out of dress code, parents would immediately be given a call and a fair warning.

I went to my locker and spun the dial. After I opened it, I shrugged out of my black trench coat and placed it inside.

"Hey," a soft voice whispered behind me. Kate's older brother, Peter, was leaning on the next locker with his strong arms folded across his chest.

"What's up?" I whispered back as I closed my locker.

Since I had practically grown up in Kate's house, Peter and I treated each other like siblings. Kate teased me that one day, Peter and I would come to our senses and date each other. That brings me to another rule in our school. No dating, absolutely no exceptions.

"I was wondering if I could join you guys this Wednesday," he shrugged his wide shoulders. "To, you know, watch movies and stuff."

"Stuff?" I giggled and his blue eyes widened.

"I didn't mean**―**"

"I was just kidding," I bumped his shoulder with mine. "You are welcome to join us."

He grinned, his eyes swimming with excitement. I was still smiling when the tiny white speakers at all the corners of the school crackled loudly. Instinctively, we all looked up at the speakers.

"Good morning, students," Mrs Cope's, the Principal's secretariat, voice surrounded the hall. "You are instructed to leave the hall immediately and assemble in the auditorium. The Principal has something important to announce."

"And the student who comes in late will be given kitchen and lawn duty." Peter mimicked her voice perfectly.

I slapped a hand over my mouth before a loud laugh who could escape me. Kate pushed her way through the crowd and reached us in an instant.

Peter winked. "See you later."

Kate watched him leave. "What were you two talking about? Biology? Chemistry?"

I elbowed her in the stomach. "Come on."

Kate and I tagged along with the other students, whispering back and forth. When we got inside the school's enormous auditorium, Kate found us a spot and we were seated in no time. I straightened my blazer and looked around.

Students were tapping their legs on the marble floor nervously, wondering what was going on. Did a student violate one of the rules and was going to be publicly humiliated? Wouldn't be the first one though.

Our Principal, a handsome man with dark hair, climbed onto the stage and flicked the microphone impatiently.

"Students of Draken Academy," our Principal said into the microphone. "We have two important announcements to make today. As one of the most important school's rules go, Halloween is a festival that should never be celebrated. Our ancestors who founded this school didn't like the idea of human beings associating with creatures...of the night. But changes happen. And now, it is decided that the first ever Halloween party will be organized in our school."

Mother Mary's beautiful statue, which was placed at the center of the stage, had a horror stricken look on its face. It looked like she didn't agree with any of this.

We all stared at our Principal in utter shock. Was that really happening or was I dreaming? Guessing by the look on everyone's face, _that _was happening. Several gasps filled the room, though it seemed like no student was capable of letting even a single sound.

My heart began to drum wildly and Kate held my hand in a tight grip. Slowly, we began to dread, wondering what the other announcement was. Good news was always followed by bad news, right?

He grinned, though it seemed a bit strained. "The school board would be happy to make the celebration happen. Now, moving on to the next announcement. A dear friend of mine runs a private school like this one. But recently, due to few unfortunate reasons, the school has been closed. He has managed to find other schools for his affected students but still a few haven't gotten into any school yet. So, I stepped in and volunteered to take them under my wing. They are around 50 students and they would be officially joining our school this Monday. To welcome them, I have invited them to take part in our Halloween, er, party. So, students, make them feel at home here."

No one spoke or moved even after he dismissed us and left through the back door.

"Is he serious?" Kate asked with wide eyes. "As if there aren't enough robots in our school."

* * *

Halloween came rather quickly.

We had no time to find proper costumes for the party since it was announced, like, two days before. Kate dug out her red and black clothes from her closet and managed to change it into a nice vampire costume.

I, on the other hand, had no idea what to go as to the party. When dad saw how distressed I was, he led me to the attic and pressed a white billowing gown into my hands, which he had taken out from an old dusty suitcase.

"Use it," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "It was your mother's wedding gown."

At first, I didn't know what to do with it. Kate suggested me to go as Frankenstein's bride and I flipped her the bird. Finally, I sat down the last evening and cut the gown, so that it dropped till my knees.

Then, I stitched white lace material on the edges. The gown was full handed but I didn't want to change that. I just tightened the material so that it fit snugly around my arms and my body. I stitched extra sparkling white sequins and lace along the border of the modest neckline.

I managed to even make a white wreath made up of feathers and glitter. However, the most important part of the costume was the wings and I didn't know how to make it. I was surprised when Kate showed up that evening, with a huge pair of sparkling wings.

"My mom made it," she smiled. "She was happy to. Peter helped a lot."

I didn't know how they had managed to snag those soft white feathers. They were so perfect that I threw my arms around her and tried not to cry. Predictably, I somehow ruined the wings as I thought I would. When I was doing the remaining stitching part, the needle went through my forefinger.

I got up and on my way to the bathroom, huge droplets of blood fell on my wings.

"Great, just great." I stared at it in horror. I had no other way but to use red paint and decorate it. Now, my white wings had red wavy patterns on it, as if it were injured.

The next day on Halloween, I stepped out of my car and helped Kate get out. She made a very cute vampire. I caught my reflection in the car's window and grinned. The white wreath looked very appealing on my dark brown hair. I not only _looked _beautiful, I also _felt _very beautiful.

"Woah," she breathed. "This is _our school_?"

Huge pumpkins lit with candles inside were scattered all around the school building. I looked around and shivered. Something felt wrong...out of place. Thunder crackled overhead and the moon glinted ominously.

A girl stood on the entrance, dressed in a witch's gown with a broom. When we walked closer, we realized it was a scary doll. Not human at all. There was no one outside the building. Suddenly, icy wind blasted through the parking lot. It seemed to whisper something as it passed our way.

"_Beware...beware..."_

"Did you hear that?" I gasped out, looking around.

"That's probably an extra effect. Let's just go inside." Kate said.

We hurried inside the school and opened the large mahogany door where the party was held. This was our first time and I was already scared. Girls and boys dressed as werewolves, vampires, zombies, famous people and many other things were milling around.

The auditorium was converted into a hex house. Scary torture tables were set up to hold the food items and Dracula's coffin was placed at the center. There were tombstones everywhere too. A doll with white wrappings, representing the Mummy, was set up against the wall.

There were fake bones on the floor too. Occasionally accompanied by red and black flowers.

Everyone was speaking in whispers. The only prominent thing I could hear was the eerie soft music playing in the background. It was as if we were in a Death party. Either the students were scared or I had missed the part where the Principal had commanded silence in the room. He was nowhere to be seen though.

Goosebumps erupted all over my body when lightning flash outside the auditorium's huge glass windows. Peter got me a cup filled with Coke and I accepted it eagerly. I took a sip and when I stared at the cup, the contents seemed to vibrate.

I looked around, wondering if others had felt the strange tremors too. But everyone was laughing and talking softly, no one looked even remotely disturbed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Peter asked, drowning the cup in one quick gulp.

Just as I was about to tell him what I _thought _had happened, a girl in a cheerleader's costume tapped my shoulder. I recognized her immediately. She was Angela, the Class President of the Senior Student body.

"Sorry for interrupting," she said stiffly, "but one of the teachers in the school board just talked to me. It seems that no student is allowed to roam the school campus now, everyone's presence is expected here."

With great powers came great responsibility. Figures.

I straightened up and nodded. "Of course, I'll make sure of that."

Angela glanced at Peter and back at me. "Oh, and some juniors are apparently having _fun_ in the Chemistry lab and a few are loitering around. Why don't you go check it out?"

"Now? Like right now?" I asked, shocked. She wanted me to leave the auditorium and go inside the school which was probably dark and scary without any lights?

"Yes, of course. Don't you care about any responsibilities at all?" She was staring at me in disapproval. I was a Class President too, but I was nowhere near as anal as her.

I resisted rolling my eyes and placed my cup on the table. "Fine, I'll go."

Peter insisted on coming with me and we slipped out of the auditorium quietly. As I had predicted, the hallway was dark and deadly silent. Our footsteps echoed loudly around us and my heart started to throb uncomfortably.

"Students came down here?" Peter looked uneasy, tugging at his collar. "This place is super freaky at night. The least the school board can do is leave the lights on."

The deeper we went into the school, the darker and creepy it became.

"Uh, which way is the Chem lab? I thi**―**" I began.

"Shhh, do you hear that?" he asked, his face hidden in the shadows.

We froze, listening keenly. I could hear every ragged breath that Peter and I took. Slowly, voices reached our ears and I sagged in relief.

"It's probably the students," I explained as we continued to walk. "I can't believe they came in here."

Suddenly, a low piercing sound came from Peter's front pocket. He took his cellphone out and squinted at the bright screen. The screen's light illuminated the hall and I realized we were standing near the Observatory room and next to us was the school's huge garden on which the huge Chapel was constructed. Only a glass door separated us from the garden.

"It's Kate," he frowned darkly. "One of the boys is messing with her. Won't leave her alone."

"Garrett, probably," I shrugged. "You go and do the protective-older-brother thing. I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you sure?" He looked troubled as he glanced at the empy corridor.

"Sure," I assured him but goosebumps had erupted all over my body. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Okay, you have your cell, right?" he asked, doubtfully and I nodded.

Finally, he gave me a nod and went back the way we had come in. I turned around and stared at the vast expanse before me. Our school was large and it _was _easy to move around and find the right places, if there was any light at all.

It was Halloween but I didn't have to worry about any supernatural beings stalking me because there were statues of Jesus and Mary at every corner of the corridor. That thought calmed me down a little and I continued to make my way towards the Chemistry lab in the darkness.

Suddenly, I realized that the voices I had earlier heard were coming towards me now. And none of them were familiar. I didn't know if I should continue walking or just retreat when I had the opportunity.

Out of nowhere, a hand closed over my mouth and I found myself pressed against a hard―_gulp_―strong chest. My heart dropped to my stomach and I cried out but it sounded muffled. Shit, I should have brought Peter with me.

I hoped it was one of the guys who were returning from the Chem lab. No luck there because when he spoke, he sounded unfamiliar and cold.

"Don't scream," a velvety smooth voice commanded into my ears, "or you'll be heard."

I froze because it was obviously a young boy. One of the students in Draken Academy. Then why was he holding me captive like it was a life or death situation? We were pressed together so tightly that I could feel every plane of his lithe body.

He went back, dragging me with him till we were practically pasted against the dark corner of the hallway. I protested against this, elbowing him on his taut stomach. His hand fell away and he gasped, cool breath washing over my neck.

"I won't touch you. Just...don't move for the time being." He whispered coldly, as if he was shocked that I had the audacity to elbow him.

I waited and watched as a crowd of boys and girls passed my way. I didn't know any of them and I quivered in fear, wondering if they were the new students. Why, then, did all look so dangerous and stealthy in the darkness?

A few of them were talking quietly and I strained my eyes to catch their conversation. I was startled and confused beyond words when I found out that I couldn't understand a word they were speaking. The words that rolled of their tongues sounded powerful and rich. Maybe Latin?

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped. They weren't able to see me only because the unknown boy had hid me. Finally after a few seconds, which seemed like a lifetime, they disappeared down the hallway.

"We were told the students would be present only at the school auditorium." He stated in an accusatory tone when he released me. "What are you doing _here?_"

I took a few steps back and found myself face-to-face with a tall boy who looked like an angel statue carved out of marble. I couldn't see his eye colour in the dark but they contrasted appealingly against his pale skin and dark messy hair.

A simple v-neck t-shirt, dark jeans and a worn out jacket was all that he had on. The new students who had passed my way had also been dressed very casually for the ocassion. No one had worn a costume.

"I was sent here to bring back the students who had wondered into the school," I said stiffly. "Who are you? Do you always hide in the dark and grab girls?"

The corners of his luscious lips curved up a little, as if he was suppressing a smirk. He stuffed his hands into his jean pocket and leaned against the wall.

"No, I apologize for doing that. But," he sighed softly, "extreme circumstances demand extreme measures. I'm one of the new students, and as for, uh, grabbing you, I did that only because the other students aren't very welcome to strangers. If they had seen you wandering alone, well..."

He bit his bottom lip and shrugged. I fished my cellphone out of my evening satin clutch and switched on the screen. Immediately, bright white light shone around us. He flinched and took a step back.

I tried hard to hold in a gasp.

I couldn't even put into words how good he looked. Well, if I had my way, I would pull up a chair, sit down with my chin propped up in my hand and stare at this boy all day long. Months even, if I could just memorize each and every detail of his ruggedly handsome face.

Long black eyelashes lined his expressive forest green eyes and reddish brown hair was messed up on his head, in a _perfect _way. Now I knew why the girls in the trashy romance novels always gushed about the hero's hair so much. This boy had the same gush worthy hair and killer looks.

"Why are you not in a costume? This is a Halloween party." I blurted out the first thing that came into my mind.

The hallway had gone silent again and the way he stared at me was enough to send the temperature soaring up.

"What if I _don't need a _costume to look like a supernatural being?" he grinned wickedly, his eyes roaming over my sparkling angel outfit. Suddenly, I felt naive and embarrassed.

I forced a sweet smile. "I don't know what you mean by that but I'm not going to hold you any longer."

I slipped the cellphone back into my clutch and turned towards the direction of the Chemistry lab. If I stayed and continued talking to this devilishly handsome boy, I might just melt into a puddle of goo.

"Hey Angel," he called out.

I turned a little and peeked at him. Great, I had a nickname from the new boy now. His eyebrows were pulled in and his lips were set in a grim line. He whispered two words before he left me alone in the dark hallway.

"Be careful."

* * *

**_Hey guys,_**

**_so here's the first chap of the brand new story. Do you guys like it? Do you want me to continue writing? Share you thoughts and review._**

**_Have a spooky Halloween :D_**

**_-BEJL_**


	3. Rule number 2: Don't save a stranger

**Chapter 2: Rule number 2 - Don't save a stranger**

* * *

_**~Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear - Paul Coelho~**_

* * *

There were new faces everywhere.

I had just come back to the school's huge auditorium where the party was held. After the new boy had left me alone in the dark hallway, I had no choice but to go to the Chemistry lab and seek out the troublemakers.

After I had given them enough lectures on how their behavior reflected badly on me, especially when the new students would be filling the hall any moment then, I had forced them to follow me and then ushered them into the auditorium.

I closed the mahogany door behind me and turned around, and _almost _took a step back because I didn't recognize most of the people crowding the doorway. It took me a moment to realize that they were the new students, who would be officially joining the school on Monday.

One of the girls in the large group turned her head to stare at me and I was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze.

My spine started to tingle and I felt sharp sparks shooting all the way down to my high heels clad feet. When that new boy had pulled me with him and kept me away from the path of the new students, I hadn't understood why he did that.

Only when I saw them―all in flesh and blood―glide past me in the dark hallway did I realize that there was more to them than I'd ever realized. Even their slightest movement spoke about barely unleashed power.

"Bella! There you are!" Kate pushed through the crowd, careless of the new students she was interrupting.

"Hey! Watch it!" A dark skinned girl snapped at Kate, her chest falling up and down dramatically. She was practically fuming and I could imagine fire coming out of her mouth and ears. Kate had apparently stepped on that new girl's feet when she had pushed other students aside.

"You watch it, dragon breath!" Kate snarled back at her before she finally reached me.

I tried not to laugh at her scrunched up face. She put a thin arm around me and pulled me to the other side of the auditorium. She adjusted her red cape and frowned worriedly at me

"I was beginning to think you were lost or some psycho had kidnapped you," she fretted. "Peter was feeling a lot worse than me."

"Where is he now?" I asked, looking around but I was actually searching the crowd for that boy.

The new students maintained a considerable amount of distance between the Draken Academy students and themselves. Our Principal stood at the center of the room with a huge grin on his face.

"I would like you all to welcome the new students," he gestured towards them. "They have made quite the journey to reach here..."

The rest of his speech didn't register in my brain. I took another sip from the red cup Kate had handed over to me and appraised the new students, who were standing still at the corner of the auditorium.

It took me a moment to realize that they were standing in an organized way, maybe as groups. There was a wide space left between each of the groups, as if they didn't want to get mixed with the other group members.

The new students varied from the age of 15 to 18, from short to tall and from having black hair to red hair. It was as if someone had shaken a celebrity magazine and all the gorgeous models on the glossy pages had tumbled out.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Kate asked, following my gaze.

I turned back to her before she could catch me staring at the new students. I was pretty sure they didn't raise goose bumps on the arms of all the Draken Academy students like they did on mine. They probably raised other stuff, like hormone level.

"Hey, Bella! Hey, Kate!" A tall girl with curly, golden hair pushed her way through the crowd. A small group of popular girls strutted close behind her.

"Hey, Charlotte," Kate said warmly. "How's it going?"

The Draken Academy didn't have just one queen bee, it had a whole bunch of queen bees. No one fought for the most popular girl title, at least not openly.

"So far, so good." Charlotte smiled. "But our Principal should have told us about the Halloween party at least a few weeks back. I mean, seriously, did he think that we have Dracula and Mummy's outfits ready in our closets or something? Do you know how hard it was for me to get this stupid, _ugh_, Marlyn Monroe dress?"

"So, Bella, where did you get these amazing wings?" One of Charlotte's friends asked me. Before I could reply, another girl started talking.

"What happened to the wings anyway? They have, like, red stains on them. They're not blood, are they? I heard it can..."

"Miss Swan?"

I had never been so relieved to hear his voice. I placed the cup back on the table and turned around to ask him what he wanted.

Our Principal―Mr Stanley―looked very nervous and fidgety. When I was twelve, my mom sent to me a psychology camp where I was taught how to pick up on people's actions and translate it into how they were really feeling about something.

That old psyche feeling told me that Mr Stanley looked like he was trying very hard to please someone.

"Yes, Mr Stanley?" I asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"The new students were actually divided into four groups back at their old school," he explained to me. "They sort of wanted to continue to be in those same groups. As you are the President of the Junior Student Body, I would like you to meet all the leaders of the four groups and get acquainted with them. In case they ever need something...I already introduced them to Angela."

"Okay," I said slowly, wondering why he was acting like his speech was very important and I needed to listen to it carefully.

"Well, children, come here, meet Isabella Swan. She's the President of the Junior Student Body." He said, gesturing to the four new students who had joined us.

"This is Senna, she is head of the house _Aqua._" Senna's eyes were the same color of the deep blue ocean and her short brown hair hung straight and shiny around her shoulders.

"This is Emmett, he's the head of _Terra..._this is Renata, she's the head of _Caelum__._"

Emmett had dark brown hair with a cheeky smile and he looked like he could crush a boulder without any difficulty. Renata's eyes were almost silver under the dim lighting and she had straight platinum blond hair.

"And this, Bella," Mr Stanley continued, "is Edward. He's the head of the house _Ignis."_

My eyes snapped up to meet Edward's attractive green eyes. Oh, my God. If it was possible to die of humiliation, I would be dead by now. It was him, _that boy. _Edward was _that boy _who had pulled me from the path of the new students just minutes ago.

"Well, I'll leave you all alone to get acquainted." Without another word, Mr Stanley turned and walked away.

I stared at his disappearing back in desperation. All four of them looked like freakin' runway models and he had just left me alone with them. Awesome.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella." Senna spoke first.

"Bella," I corrected her with a smile. "It's nice to meet you too. So, uh, do you like the school?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know." She frowned a little, worry lines crinkling her smooth forehead. "We don't really feel...welcome here."

"That's a normal feeling. Every new student is bound to feel like that." I avoided looking at Edward, whose intense gaze was currently fixed on me.

"Why are your wings red? I had never heard of an angel with red wings." Renata remarked suddenly. I made the mistake of looking at Edward. His eyes were cold and calculating and under the lighting of the auditorium, he looked more real than he had ever been.

Back in the dark hallway, he had felt more like a figment of my overactive imagination.

"Um, I..." I reached behind me and touched one of the feathery soft wings. "Guess I'm a fallen angel, then."

"No kidding," Edward smirked. "Did it hurt when you fell down from Heaven, Angel?"

My heart nearly burst out of my chest. "It did. You want to try it too?"

Emmett laughed and threw his arm around Edward's broad shoulders. "Leave poor Eddie alone, Bella. He can't survive it."

"We'll see who survives _here _and who doesn't." Edward rolled his eyes and shrugged off Emmett's arm.

By 'here', did he mean the Draken Academy or the town Forks in general?

"Bella? Are you finished there?" Kate's annoyed voice reached my ears. I tilted my head back and saw her raising an eyebrow at me.

I turned back to them. "I...I hope you enjoy your stay here. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Okay." They walked past me to get to the refreshments table. When Edward was about to cross me, he paused deliberately and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I'm glad you decided to jump, Angel." His words felt like an open-mouthed hot kiss on my earlobe. He pulled back with a strange look in his eyes and then turned promptly to follow the other leaders.

I didn't know how long I stood there with a blank mind. I could still feel his warm breath on my neck.

"Helloooo? Back to earth, Bella." Kate had her hands on her hips. Slowly, a grin started to spread across her face. "Alright, you better spill. What did that boy say to you?"

"Nothing," I replied, fussing with my hair instead.

"_Please, _give me some credit. I'm your best friend and best friends know things." She chirped excitedly.

"I swear, Kate, absolutely nothing." I was starting to feel a little too hot.

"So, he just, like, breathed on your neck and stood there like a dumbo?" She giggled, fanning her face.

I tried not to laugh. "I don't feel too well, I think I'm gonna head home. You want to come with me or catch a ride with someone?"

"Don't you think it's a little early?" she asked but shrugged. "Fine, I'm coming with you."

She went to collect her things and say goodbye to the girls. I was waiting for her near the doorway when Peter caught up with me, his blond hair sticking up in an adorable way.

"Hey, why are you leaving so soon?" He seemed out of breath, as if he had jogged across the hall to reach me.

"I don't feel well." I repeated the same lie.

"Right," he raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "I would ask you for a dance but, uh, no one is dancing. Yet. You think this party could get any weirder?"

I laughed in spite of myself. "Who knows? Thanks for the invitation, Peter."

He looked a little crestfallen, so I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his smooth cheek. "Goodnight, bro."

"Goodnight...sis," he suppressed a smile.

Kate found me then and we walked out into the cool night.

* * *

On Saturday morning, I was having breakfast with dad when he asked me if I could do him a favor.

"What," I said, popping a piece of apple in my mouth, "do you want, dad?"

He cleared his throat, running a hand across his clean-shaven jaw. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked very tired. Dad was the Chief of Police and he was constantly strained about his job, but I had never seen him so distressed like this.

"I've been, uh, helping your school Principal with a few things, regarding the new kids and all. I've got all the finished files and I was wondering if you could―"

"Deliver those files to my Principal?" I finished for him. "No way. He'll probably be in his office and I don't want to go anywhere near my school right now."

"Why not?" he asked, looking confused. He stapled a bunch of formal looking papers and placed it on the table.

How exactly was I supposed to explain my current situation to him without sounding like a complete moron? Thursday night―Halloween night―had given me a strange feeling and the four leaders of those _elements _groups had given off unwelcome vibes.

Yesterday―Friday―the whole school had buzzed with the conversation about the party and the new students. We didn't catch sight of any of them as they would be coming to school only from Monday.

"I just don't want to go." I insisted firmly, playing with the silver spoon. Today was Saturday and I had no intention of going to school when it was a holiday. I wanted to spend the whole day without thinking about...Edward and other school stuff too, of course.

Dad wouldn't stop groveling though and I finally agreed to deliver Mr Stanley the necessary files. When I informed Kate about that, she told me to drop by her house after my trip to the Draken Academy.

I threw on a green top with cute ruffles on the front and a pair of dark blue jeans. Seeing that it was a little cloudy outside, I shrugged into my white suede jacket and stepped into a pair of white boots. After making sure my hair looked presentable, I took the files from dad and got inside my car.

When I stopped the car in front of my school after a few minutes, I stared at the sprawling building in awe. To think about it, I had never been to school when it was a holiday, especially not when I wasn't wearing the school uniform.

Once I was inside the school, I quickly made my way to the office through the empty corridor. I kept my head down, not wanting to remember what had happened with Edward back on Halloween.

Thankfully, Mrs Cope was in her usual place. I asked her if I could see Mr Stanley and she told me to wait for a few minutes. I opened the glass door nearby and stepped into the beautiful garden. A medium-size bronze statue of the _supposed _school founder stood in the middle. The Convent stood on the other side, large and towering in its structure.

My cell phone rang then and I answered the call when I saw it was Kate.

"Hey, you remember Garrett?" She cut directly to the point before I could even say 'hello'. "I totally forgot to tell you about what happened yesterday at school. It was during Gym and Garrett was all over me as usual and..."

"Kate, can't it wait for a few more minutes?" I asked, laughing. "I'm coming straight to your house after I give those files to Mr Stanley."

"I can't wait, I feel like I'm going to burst!" she squealed.

I was so immersed in listening to what she had to say that I didn't notice the statue quivering, as if it was about to fall. When I finally did notice, it was too late. The statue groaned and titled towards my side. I could see what was going to happen. I wouldn't have time to move and the statue would fall on me, crushing me to death.

But the statue never got a chance to fall. A boy came out of nowhere, grasping the bottom of the statue firmly with his strong hands. My eyes fluttered close for a second and when I opened them again in shock, the statue stood still. My cell phone slipped from my grip and clattered on the ground.

"Bella! Are you alright?" Edward was next to me in an instance. In my dizzied state, I had failed to recognize my savior as Edward.

I gasped, finding it hard to speak. "I...I'm fine, I think."

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his green eyes flashing. One of his strong hands pulled me away from the statue. That statue was centuries old and the school hadn't even tried to clean it up and make sure it didn't make sneak attacks on students.

I shook my head and focused my gaze on him. "How did you...? Where were you...?"

He sighed, looking tormented. "I'm staying in the school's boarding house along with the other students. I was outside when I saw you."

"But how did you―"

"Look, just thank me and get over it, okay?" Edward looked around, like he was checking to see if anyone was watching us.

I started to blush in embarrassment. "Thanks but no one really asked you to save me."

"So, are you telling me that you didn't need to be saved? Did you fail to notice that no one is exactly around?" One perfect eyebrow went up in a mocking way.

He bent down to pick up my cell phone and placed it on my open palm. Kate was still on the line, screaming my name frantically.

"That statue was about to fall and you just...I mean, you...you stopped it. That statue must weigh a ton." I argued hotly as I pressed the red END button.

"I merely _kept _the statue from falling. I didn't _stop _it half way through the fall with my bare hands, _Angel. _No one is worth risking my life." Edward replied, flatly without any emotion.

My mouth popped open. "You stupid je―"

"Miss Swan?" Mrs Cope interrupted me. "Mr Stanley is ready to see you now."

I shot Edward a glare before I stalked off to Mr Stanley's office. I really wished the statue would fall on his ego filled head. Only when I tilted my head back, Edward was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_**Hey guys,**_

_**Did you like the chap? Share your thoughts with me.**_

_**-BEJL**_


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